Thanks, and a new title

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life” said a wise woman. It’s one of my favorite quotes. Back to that after a quick news break:

We just changed the title of the documentary to “To Love, To Stay”, from its former working title “Turkish of the Bride.” Now we’re working on updating the various pages and sites with the new name. We hope the new title captures something that speaks to the emotional heart of our project, and frames the movie more generally than something that’s only of interest to Turkish viewers. What do you all think?

Ok, Thanksgiving:

The more I learn about the history behind it, the more complicated my feelings are about this holiday. But regardless of whether you’re a traditional Thanksgiving celebrator or not, I do believe that recognizing and expressing gratitude for whatever we are thankful for, is a powerful practice. As Thanksgiving feasts gave way to Black Friday shopping frenzy in the US, Hilal and I wonder how the Turkish-American families here and in Turkey are spending their “turkey day”. One thing many of the women we talked with say is how different special days and holidays feel when away from home. Some of us try to re-create special days just the way we remember them from our youth back home, while some of us have kept only a few important aspects of a holiday or family tradition, and do our best to honor what’s important in our cultures and customs.

Are you a Turkish woman living in America who has learnt to make cranberry sauce and smile politely at turkey stuffing jokes? Are you an American woman who is searching for the right fixin’s all over Istanbul to make the Thanksgiving dinner just right? Just enter your thoughts in the comments and I’m sure your words will resonate with many others who have tasted the bitter-sweet moments of celebrating special days in a culture that doesn’t know anything about them.

I hope this doesn’t start looking like a food blog, after Sarah’s cookies, and now my cranberry sauce!🙂

American Bride

Was it the warmth of its people that attracted you to this land? Did you first fall in love with a man, or the unique rhythm of the city? Were you enchanted by İstanbul's silhouette you saw when crossing the Bosphorous? Perhaps, as you had one cup of tea after another, you didn't even notice when exactly you decided to settle here. You brought smiles to the faces of family members when you practiced using your newly learned Turkish words. When you felt like having some peanut butter or bacon, it took a bit of research to find out where to get them. Some of your American friends questioned your sanity when they heard you want to live in Turkey. Maybe even you asked yourself from time to time what you're doing here. But you are here, in Türkiye, living with a Turk...